6,761 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas

Key Points

• Smith Chas P & Associates reduced its Merck position by 6,761 shares, or 1.9%, ending the quarter with 352,837 shares valued at approximately $51.5 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of Merck.
• Merck holds a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating from analysts, with 17 Buy, nine Hold and one Sell rating and an average price target of $151.92. Shares recently traded near $149.98 after rising 1.1%.
• The company reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, exceeding estimates, and announced an annualized dividend of $3.40 per share, yielding about 2.3%. Investors still face concerns over KEYTRUDA’s future patent cliff and moderating growth, despite expanded European approval for KEYTRUDA plus Padcev.

Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas lessened its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 1.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 352,837 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,761 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 2.6% of Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas' portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas' holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $51,497,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company's stock worth $29,169,479,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,507 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company's stock worth $15,573,754,000 after acquiring an additional 1,087,583 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,083,033,000 after acquiring an additional 1,934,312 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company's stock worth $3,701,831,000 after buying an additional 2,919,780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company's stock worth $1,858,938,000 after purchasing an additional 2,969,856 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Citigroup upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Argus increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $151.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $149.98 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $146.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $129.88. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.01 and a 52 week high of $156.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $370.02 billion, a PE ratio of 119.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.85 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is presently 272.00%.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The European Commission approved KEYTRUDA plus Padcev as perioperative treatment for adults with resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The expanded indication strengthens Merck’s oncology portfolio, supports additional long-term revenue opportunities and reinforces the commercial value of the two-drug combination. European Commission KEYTRUDA and Padcev approval
• Positive Sentiment: The latest trading session saw Merck outperform the broader market, reflecting investor interest in its strong oncology franchise and recent product catalysts. Merck outperforms the stock market
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s participation in the growing bioconjugation and cell-culture-media markets provides potential exposure to expanding biopharmaceutical research demand, but the reports offer no specific financial impact or new company guidance. Bioconjugation market report Cell culture media market report
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports on Merck’s phase 3 melanoma results and ETF selling could influence sentiment, but the available information does not provide enough detail to assess the magnitude or durability of either development. Merck phase 3 melanoma results
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Merck from “hold” to “strong sell,” adding selling pressure and highlighting valuation or growth concerns.
• Negative Sentiment: KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX remain Merck’s primary earnings engine, while U.S. growth is expected to moderate as the drug approaches peak penetration. The looming patent cliff and a legal setback affecting subcutaneous KEYTRUDA sales in several European markets increase concerns about Merck’s ability to replace future lost revenue with newer treatments. Merck KEYTRUDA growth and patent cliff analysis

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total transaction of $2,710,857.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 134,703 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,569,312.29. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck's principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.

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